Two Michigan hospitals, one health system ranked best in nation in their fields

Providence Hospital and Medical Center in Southfield, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor and Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids were three hospital organizations named as best in their fields by Ann Arbor-based Truven Health Analytics in its 2014 Top Hospitals list.

But the overall number of top 100 hospitals named by Truven in Michigan dropped this year to only two, down from eight in 2013. Seven hospitals were cited in 2012.

Spectrum Health was the only top 15 health system named by Truven this year in Michigan, said the report. No Michigan health systems were named in 2012 or 2013.

Competition among hospitals is fierce for higher performance because most hospitals are striving to cut costs and meet Medicare quality goals to keep annual reimbursement increases.

Eight key indicators are assessed. They are mortality, medical complications, patient safety, average length of stay, 30-day mortality rate, 30-day readmission rate and adherence to clinical standards of care published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

“This year’s health system winners are setting the national standard for higher quality, efficiency and patient perception of care, which together mean higher value for each community served,” said Jean Chenoweth, Truven’s senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals, in a statement.

“These systems have strong leadership and clinical excellence. And they are, or stand to become, outstanding partners with employers and other stakeholders in setting goals for improving community health.”

In February, HealthGrades, a Colorado-based quality research company, released its survey that named eight Michigan hospitals, including four in Southeast Michigan, to its best performing list.

The four Detroit-area hospitals were Providence Hospital in Southfield; Beaumont Hospital, Troy; and St. Mary Mercy Livonia Hospital and St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac.

The other top performing hospitals in Michigan were two Spectrum hospitals, Butterworth Hospital and Blodgett Hospital; Traverse City-based Munson Medical Center; and Holland-based HollandHospital.